Health: Enterovirus

An enterovirus has caused hundreds of children to be hospitalized in Missouri and throughout the Midwest. An enterovirus is a virus that causes symptoms similar to that of the common cold; this particular virus, called EV-D68, is not a new virus. Usually, these kinds of viruses hit in the start of fall as kids go back to school. This virus causes respiratory illness symptoms such as difficulty breathing. Doctors can only treat the symptoms of the virus, because viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics. However, the number of hospitalizations this virus has caused is causing great concern since usually people with this virus are not in need of such intensive care. So far, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky have asked the CDC, Center for Disease Control to help them investigate the outbreaks of enterovirus.